Gruelling trek no walk in the park for Littlehampton group

Rachel Hunt, 30, Sam Barham, 30 Andrew Sutton, 33, and his partner Natasha Disney, 32, all from the town, will be pushing their bodies to breaking point, in May, as they attempt to tackle a 60-mile trek from London to Brighton, all in aid of charity,

It will be a 30-hours ordeal of tireless walking, with no sleep, and little more than a few 15-minute respites every seven miles or so.

However, as Natasha, of Linden Road explains, the memory of her much-loved aunt and grandfather, who both lost their battle with cancer, will help to drive her on.

The mum of one, who is raising money for Cancer Research UK, said: “I lost my grandfather Keith and aunty Wendy to cancer recently.

“Going through that was absolutely devastating. It was one of the hardest things I have ever experienced.

“Wendy was only 42 when she died and she left behind her four children. It was a horrific time for everyone in my family.

“So that’s certainly going to be one of my main driving forces during the walk. I guess you could say that this will be a tribute to my friends and family.”

The brave quartet will be setting off from Richmond, London, on May 12 and will have just 30 hours to complete the 60-mile route, before crossing the finish line at the Brighton Racecourse, the following day.

They have all started their training regime, walking about five miles a night and more than 20 at weekends.

Natasha, who works at the Oakland Grange Care Home, in St Flora’s Road, added: “It’s all go go go right now.

“I walk everywhere, anyway. So I guess for me this is not great shakes. But for Rachel and Sam, this is something totally new and it’s pretty daunting.”

She added that the group were inspired to take on the challenge following on from Andrew’s Great Wall of China walk, for St Barnabas House hospice, in Worthing, in 2010.

All the trekkers have to raise a minimum of £375 for their four, respective charities – the Alzheimer’s Society, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Macmillan Cancer Support and Cancer Research UK.

To sponsor them, visit www.justgiving.com and search for their names. A donation text service has also been set up. To pledge, text either the code NDIS66, SAMB82, or SUTT55 to 70070 with the donation amount.